1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of communication devices and, more specifically, to speakerphones.
2. Description of the Related Art
Speakerphones are used in many types of telephone calls, and particularly are used in conference calls where multiple people are located in a single room. A speakerphone may have one or more microphones to pick up voices of in-room participants, and at least one speaker to audibly present voices from offsite participants. While speakerphones may allow several people to participate in a conference call, there are a number of problems associated with the use of speakerphones.
As the microphone and speaker age, their physical properties change, thus compromising the ability to perform high quality acoustic echo cancellation. Thus, there exists a need for a system and method capable of estimating descriptive parameters for the speaker and the microphone as they age.
Furthermore, noise sources such as fans, electrical appliances and air conditioning interfere with the ability to discern the voices of the conference participants. Thus, there exists a need for a system and method capable of “tuning in” on the voices of the conference participants and “tuning out” the noise sources.